Can you do anything to make power tubes last longer ?


Besides using them less.

inna

I also agree that there is no need to use white gloves. I’ll admit I’m an outdoor guy who doesn’t use lotion so my skin tends to be dry. but most tubes run cool enough that a little skin oil it isn’t a problem.

Agree on the gloves point. Actually, this is something that the engineer in me screams "you're solving the WRONG problem!" about. There is NO risk to tubes from skin oils. Audio tubes are nothing like those awful halogen bulbs from the 1990s. The biggest risk to a tube is DROPPING it. And guess what - those cheesy, cheap white cotton gloves are generally very slick compared to a natural grip. So while purporting to protect tubes from (harmless) oils, they actually introduce a REAL risk to your tube handling. Ugh. These gloves should all be burned. 

If you have auto bias, you’re out of luck. I’ll never buy an amp with autobias.

While I do love the ability to manually adjust each tube bias point, the VAC iQ auto-bias system has been very, very good in my use and sounds excellent. 

I'd never own an amp with cathode (auto) bias either.  

Also, I don't know what "regulate voltage" means, but I do know that the balanced power supply that I use makes exactly 120 volts.

As Roger Modjeski well understood, the SOE safe operating envelope for a specific tube is not a few points… hence a deeper understanding of both amplifier design with a dual focus on reliability and sonic engineering… the now ancient RCA SOE diagrams and tables yield much for those who do not think only in terms of points.. see RM-10 for imo a phd “ amp camp “ level demonstration of what is possible in terms of output, reliability and sonics.. RAM tubes and the testing…few if any can do contribute significantly as well… RIP… i miss him, could hardly wish for a better mentor, sensei, spirit guide…

Yes, the concern over skin oil has to do with light bulbs, not tubes.  The oil deposited on a high intensity, high temperature light bulb will carbonize from the heat.  That leaves a black spot on the bulb.  The light from the bulb is absorbed by the black spot instead of passing through and that makes the black spot MUCH hotter than the surrounding part of the bulb causing that spot to fail.

Another piece of advice is to grip tubes which have a base by the base and don't push and pull on the glass envelope.  The concern is accidentally separating the base from the glass envelope.  

Also, if you do a lot of tube rolling, be aware that tube sockets have a limited life in terms of how many insertions and removals before the connection becomes less reliable.  An old time technician told me it can be as little as 30 insertions and removals for a socket to fail (i.e., cannot be re-tightened reliably).  If you do a lot of trials, consider using socket savers while you are trying to find the right tubes.